Suspended officer-in-charge of Teknaf police station Pradeep Kumar Das was shown arrested in a case filed over amassing wealth worth of around Tk 40 million through 'bribery and corruption'.
Chittagong metropolitan sessions judge Sheikh Ashfaqur Rahman passed the order on Monday following a petition filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
Pradeep's wife Chumki Karan is also an accused in the case. Chumki went into hiding after Pradeep landed in the jail.
Earlier on 31 July, retired army major Sinha Mohammad Rashed Khan was killed in police firing at Baharchhara check post in Teknaf.
After the incident, Sharmin Shahriar Ferdous, sister of the victim, filed a murder case against nine persons including Pradeep with the Cox's Bazar Judicial Magistrate's Court.
Following the case, Pradeep took leave from the office saying that he was ill and he went into hiding in Chattogram.
Later on 7 August, he surrendered before the Cox's Bazar court. He has been in jail since then.
As per the instructions from the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit, the bank accounts of eight people, including Pradeep, his wife and the police superintendent of Cox's Bazar, were frozen.
On 23 August, Chattogram ACC assistant director Riaz Uddin filed a case against Pradeep and his wife.
According to the case statement, Pradeep's father was a security guard of the Chittagong Development Authority. Pradeep joined as sub-inspector (SI) in 1995.
ACC sources said Chumki in the Patharghata area of the city submitted a statement of wealth stating that she had received a six-storey house from his father as a gift.
But, astonishingly Chumki's two brothers and another sister did not get any house from their father. This means, Pradeep made that house through alleged bribery and corruption and put the name of his father-in-law in the record.
Later, he registered the property in 2013 on the basis of a donation letter from his father-in-law. OC Pradeep’s all properties are in the name of his wife Chumki Karan, but she has no credible source of income.
The ACC has also found evidence of assets worth Tk 404,41,869 in Chumki's name. Of this, she spent Tk 21,80,000 for family business and other purposes.
The wealth worth only Tk 49,13,234 was earned from some legal sources like previous savings, gifts and house rent. Besides, immovable and movable wealth worth Tk 309,55,635 was also found in the name of Chumki. It is not consistent with her known income sources.
The ACC probe has found that OC Pradeep Kumar Das bought the property with the money earned through bribery and corruption and registered it in his wife's name.
The case is now being investigated by Chattogram ACC assistant director Riaz Uddin.
After Pradeep was sent to jail, on 27 August Riaz Uddin appealed to the court to show him arrest in the case. The court fixed 14 September as the date. Following the ACC petition, Pradeep was brought to Chattogram jail from Cox's Bazar last Saturday.
Pradeep was produced to the court from Chattogram jail today for the hearing amid tight security. Under the police protection, Pradeep appeared before the Chittagong Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court on the third floor of the court building.
Later, his lawyers appealed for Pradeep’s bail saying that he was ill.
ACC lawyer Kazi Sanwar Hossain told the court that it was not possible for a housewife to own such an amount of wealth. She even does not have any visible business. These properties were bought with the money earned by Pradeep through bribery and corruption.
Following the hearing, the court ordered Pradeep to be arrested in the corruption case. It fixed 20 September for hearing of his bail plea.
Pradeep was later taken to Chattogram jail from the court amid tight security.
Crowd of victims was seen on the premises of the court. They were chanting slogans against Pradeep for his misdeeds.